Aviation Stimulus Creates 800K Jobs

Kathryn Creedy

Investing $30 billion on transportation infrastructure would create 834,000 jobs, according to the National Air Transportation Association. In a letter to Congress, President James Coyne said modernizing the air traffic control system increases capacity and improves safety. “The impact of inadequate infrastructure is more costly than investment in infrastructure," he wrote, adding that flight delays could increase 62 percent by 2014 if improvements aren't made.
“The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure recently held a hearing Investing in Infrastructure: The Road to Recovery that examined how infrastructure investment contributes to job creation and economic recovery, Coyne reported to members. “The committee calculated that $30 billion dedicated to transportation infrastructure would create or sustain more than 834,000 jobs. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), $600 million in aviation infrastructure projects within the Airport Improvement Program alone would permit essential, ready-to-go projects such as taxiway rehabilitation and widening; apron construction and rehabilitation; airport rescue and firefighting equipment and facilities; and public access roads to proceed without further delay.”